The Valkyrie
by xXMoonShadow16Xx
Summary: A girl, alien rather, from a different world, culture, with a horrifying lineage. Xira Merid is a disgruntled girl yet she is the only one who can save them all from the problem that she created. Or will she kill them all? Destiny awaits, Destroyer...
1. Chapter 1

I looked up at the wooden ceiling of my small, cramped room. Deep, deep trouble I was in. I was framed for a mass murder that I didn't commit and was arrested for it. A group of ninja, as they call their selves, captured me when I was unconscious and threw me into this room. I suspected that I was on a large ship but my location on it I was unsure of. The ship must have been in motion for I found it difficult to regain my balance.

Clad in only something that resembled a hospital gown I awoke and found myself lying on a bed, which was the only thing found in the room with the exception of the small beside table and the candle on top of it. Swinging my legs over to the side of the bed, I stood up and tried to make my way over to the door. I tried the doorknob a couple of times. Locked… I then scanned the room in search for my sword, but it was gone. Someone was going to die today…

I directed my attention back to the door. Nothing could be heard from the other side so I assumed that I was alone. I brought down my fist against the knob and smacked it out of the way. Nothing too difficult for a darkling like myself.

Darklings are the children of demons and humans. They had many properties that humans lacked including super strength, magical abilities, increased senses and much more. On Lumena, this was normal. If a human was as unlucky enough to have a cursed child it was just deported to its sister planet, Ateria, where I lived. But here, it seemed that demonic children were frowned upon.

The door swung open as I stepped out. A chubby boy, who must have been sitting next to the door the whole time, the sly bastard, arose quickly to block me from going any further.

"You're awake!" He said startled. He probably did not expect me to awaken so soon. "And you're ugly." I answered. "Fat, too." I had little patience for things like this.

He stood there shocked at my quick retort. Walking past him seemed to be the only thing that would have woken him from his trance.

"Wait! You can't go any further than that!" He began to chase me. "Are you going to try to stop me?" He hesitated. "Exactly. So calm down. I can't get off of this ship, anyway." I then continued my journey to the top of the ship.

We conversed very little on the way. I must have hurt his feelings…

We emerged from the depths of the ship into the blinding rays of sunlight.

"What is your name?" I asked the boy. He tried to avert his eyes to escapes my own gaze.

"Choji… Choji Akimichi."

"I apologize for earlier. I am sometimes overly blunt. My social skills need work." He smiled and followed me to the edge of the boat.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Staring down at the blue waters below, I simply stated, "I don't know. I just want to kill time. I have a feeling that I am going to be here for a long time so I have to find something to do." I sat on top of the edge, positioning myself so that my feet dangled over the sea underneath me. Seagulls overhead squawked at each other and fish rushed alongside the boat, attempting to hurry out of the way of the huge vessel. Choji joined me. He leaned over the edge and we held a very pleasant conversation together.

I learned that he was a ninja from a village called _Konohagakure _or the Hidden Leaf village as people called it. He and about twelve or so of his friends were deployed on a mission to investigate several mass murders going on an island that bordered his nation. I was told that I wasn't the prime suspect and that I was only wanted for clues. I would soon be interrogated at his village.

I found it difficult to explain to him as to why I had ended up in this situation. He'd probably dub me mad. One cannot simply tell random strangers that they had fallen out of the sky after being banished from their home world. That was an instant ticket to a mental institution. So I settled for the little white lie that I was travelling the world in search of a mentor. It was half true. I was seeking ways to get stronger. That much was true. But instead of me travelling this one world I was travelling many of them.

He accepted my explanation with a nod of the head. He began to speak again but a voice from behind prevented him from doing so.

"Choji! I know that it was you who ate my snacks! I know it! I had packed those snacks specifically for this trip but you ate them all!" I turned to see a fuming blonde girl whose hair was fashioned into a long ponytail. She was dressed like a whore. Her outfit was nothing but a purple skirt that stopped mid-thigh and a matching top that stopped at her navel. Her expression lightened when she saw me.

"Oh wow, Choji! I see you've gotten a girlfriend, now!" I growled at her and she staggered back. "Ino, she is not my girlfriend. We were just talking, okay? This is the girl that was found at the sight of the murder. The one we are taking back to the village with us to be interrogated." She glared at me. "Yes. I can believe that such a vile girl killed all of those people."

"Come a little closer and say that to my face." She did so and said, "I can believe that such a vile girl killed all of those people."

"Ino, I don't think that it a good idea to start fights like this." Choji said but it fell on deaf ears. Ino, as I learned her name was, and I were standing face to face and everything around us fell silent. It was obvious that weren't going to get along at all.

I threw the first punch toward her face despite my lacking in the height department. She staggered back with a shocked expression on her face as if she thought that I wouldn't hit her. She lunged at me but I stopped her once more with my fist. This time it was in the gut.

I felt Choji pin my arms behind me to prevent me from throwing anymore punches. Of course I tried to fight it but he proved to be too strong for me. I soon gave up fighting and did nothing but glare at the girl in front of me. I knew that I had originally started the fight but she had no right to fling accusations around like she did.

After several moments, Choji let me go when he saw that I was calm. He then went to go help his team mate who seemed to not be able to return to her feet.

A rush of feet could be heard behind me. Turns out that the commotion that I had caused was louder than I thought. People, all wearing the symbol that represented Choji's village, rushed to Ino. I stepped out of the way and placed myself on top of the edge of the ship once again, waiting for the consequences of beating Ino up to fall on my shoulders.

Her team mates, Choji and another guy, eventually helped her up and assisted her to her room somewhere below the surface. Most of the others returned to where they had come from, but about four of them remained. One of the guys of the group directed his gaze toward me. This boy, he had yellow hair that spiked in all directions and bright blue eyes that seemed as deep as the ocean. He wore an orange suit and had marks on his face that resembled whiskers. He also seemed furious.

He stomped towards me and grabbed me by what little collar I had left. I merely stared at him and dared him to hit me.

"Why did you hurt Ino like that? What is wrong with you?" he fumed. He seemed to be very protective of his friends.

"Many things…" I answered. It was true. According to the culture of this world and the religions the people followed, I am truly an outsider. The ways of my people are entirely different.

The overly formal ways of these people were completely different in contrast to the very relaxed, casual way my people addressed each other. The language wasn't all that hard to learn but the honorifics are difficult to use. Names are challenging, also.

I slapped his hand away and stood up in front of him. He was a whole head taller than me but I didn't let that prevent me from glaring at him. I was surprised to see that he did the same.

"Naruto!" A raven-haired boy, said. His eyes were dark and his complexion smooth and pale. He seemed indifferent about all that was happening. "We don't have time for this." He added with a bored expression.

"I'm not moving until I get an answer from her!" Ok then…

"Fine. Then I'll move…" I proceeded to walk away. That's what brother always told me to do when I was about to get in a fight. Back home I was known for my short fuse. Always first to throw a punch, they would say. Damn straight…

Naruto grabbed my wrist, stopping me from going any further. "Naruto!" The raven-haired boy said. I would have hit him if it weren't for the fact that he held my right arm. The Killer, as my brother called it.

The other two people that were with them didn't speak. They just watched. One had a hoodie on and wore sunglasses that hid his eyes from curious ones. The girl, however, seemed gentle and kind. She was beautiful. Her eyes were a soft lavender color and her hair was long and black. Her body was curvy and she had all the things that I lacked. I envied her. She was everything I wished I could be…

I jerked my hand away from the blonde and hastily made way for the door that led downward. At the sight of the girl I decided that it would be best if I left as soon as possible.

I heard the boy shout after me but I ignored his calls. The only thing on my mind was my sword. My beautiful sword… _Divina Exterminatore… Divine Destroyer... _

I searched every part of the ship to find my beloved sword. I looked in the kitchen (the ship was rather large so it needed one), the showers all of the bedrooms that were uninhabited, and everywhere else. Divina was nowhere to be found.

I traveled down some forgotten hallway at the bottom of the ship. Not a soul was found. It was the perfect place for me to sulk over my precious sword. My poor Divina…

I sat against a wall somewhere. That weapon was dear to me. My beloved brother gave me that sword when I turned twelve and I've kept it with me ever since (that's a true feat given the fact that I'm fifteen now). I have taken care of that sword and made sure there was not one scratch on it. Not one.

For while I have been hearing footsteps, but I've just noticed that they were getting closer.

I hung my head down between my drawn up knees and ignored the approaching figure on my left. It was only until I sensed the person standing directly above me did I bring my head up.

"What is your name?" the raven-haired boy from earlier asked. Why he was here? I have no clue.

"Xira… I am Xira Merid." A loud clunk sounded near my feet. My sword… He had retrieved my sword for me. "Divina!" I exclaimed while swiftly grabbing the cherished sword. "What is your name? I need to know who I am thanking." I said while trying to hold the excitement inside. I rose to my feet.

"Sasuke Uchiha…" His eyes showed no hint as to what he could be thinking. I held my hand out and he took it in a powerful handshake. "Well, Sasuke. I am sorry to say this but this is farewell."

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yes. I have my sword and I have no reason to be on this ship. I'm on a mission to get stronger and this is only keeping me back." I faced the other direction. "Goodbye."

I thought that I'd be able to leave with just that. A short and simple goodbye, but Sasuke refused to let that happen. He moved so fast that he was in front of me in an instant. Blocking the hallway he stated, "I can't let that happen." Puzzle, I asked why. "Believe it or not you are a captive of this ship. You are to be taken to our village and interrogated. Our job is to get you there by any means necessary." He drew his own katana and posed himself for battle. "Okay then. If it's a battle with the mighty Xira you want, it is a battle you'll get." I assumed my own battle pose. Sword in my right hand. Right foot in front of the other and left arm outstretched for aim.

He proved to be as powerful as he looked. He possessed many strange abilities. Justus, as they were called. One consisted of him performing various hand signs that caused a bright mass of lightning to arise in his hand. It was magnificent. But not as good as my own technique. I summoned my dark fires (fire that appeared numerous hues of dark violets and navy blues) to counter the lightning that I learned was called the Chidori. The right wall of the hallway was lost in the process. Now we had a splendid view of the ocean beside us.

We continued our intense fight until we suddenly emerged on the surface, receiving questionable glances from passing onlookers. We were equals; a perfect match. Every time one would attack the other would counter it with one just as strong. We ended the fruitless battle after a long, painful hour of straight stalemates.

I sat down to rest beside the ship's mast. He stood and explained to his comrades the reason as to why the ship was nearly destroyed while glancing at me several times. I only stared out into the ocean and tried my best to ignore it all.

After the last scuffle with the Uchiha boy I was locked away in the bottom of the ship and stayed there for at least a week. I regretted not ignoring him in the first place. I should have walked away like how Brother taught me. I spent hours in boredom. I tried to kill time by polishing Divina, sightseeing outside of the small window located next to my bed, and singing tunes in the language spoken on my homeworld.

I heard the door open in the middle of my favorite song. One about a man who loved a girl. He loved the girl so much that he wanted no one else to behold her beauty. So he locked her away and the girl was never seen again. It was a sad morbid song about a sad, morbid tale. It was true actually.

Sasuke appeared in the doorway. He held a tray of food in his hand but stared at me with such intensity that it slightly made me uncomfortable.

"Teach me your language." He said. I narrowed my eyes at him. "First you want to beat me up, now you want to learn my language. This culture is funny." He smirked. "Is that a yes?"

"Sure. Whatever. Give me my food." I scowled at him as he did so. He sat down across from me on my bed.

"Goodbye?" It was a question rather than a statement.

"I think I'll stick around. I'm an eager to student and I'll get my lesson as soon as I can." He smirked at me.

We talked as I ate which rather surprised me. Sasuke struck me as the silent and mysterious type. The badass guy who never talked but when he did it was something important. We talked about many things. He taught me the ways of his culture and explained getting honorifics straightened out. After I finished the rice that was brought to me, we went upstairs to begin his first lesson.

Sasuke may have been a quick learner when it came to fighting and combat but he was slow when it came to languages. I gave my best effort to be patient with him but he still got many things wrong. He confused words often and made many grammar mistakes but I was determined to teach him. By the end of the lesson, he was asking me things like "how are you doing" and "what is your name" in my language. He ended the lesson by saying "You have mother-like patience. That is something that is not easily found." He smile and waved as he walked away.

With a confused expression on my face, I stared at his retreating back. _What was that about_? I thought.

The day after that I was sick. Not physically but mentally. I was homesick. I missed my brother and how he would sing badly just to unnerve me. I missed my knuckled headed friends always getting me into trouble (believe it or not). I missed the unpredictable weather of my hometown and the old ladies that gathered in the town square at the end of every week to gossip (why they did that, I did not know). Most of all I missed my rival. I hated him with a passion yet he claimed that his eternal love for me was undying. I missed how he would always steal a peck on my cheek before running away and how I would chase him down and beat him to a pulp.

I perched in my usual spot, scanning the horizon for anything other than water to look at. The sun burned my neck and the seagulls seemed to mock my discomfort for they were able to soar through the air and feel the cool wind on their backs. I wished for that feeling, too. But alas, I would never enjoy it for I've had my wings removed a long time ago.

I earned puzzled looks from curious sailors and all else who passed. I must have begun crying. I looked down at my white pants and saw blue marks smeared all over them. My abnormally blue tears irked me to no end. Sometimes I hated being a darkling.

I silently cried for an hour or so and never bothered to go hide my tears. No one bothered to even ask me as to why I was doing so. I guess that everyone thought that the demon girl should be left alone. That is except for one person.

The pretty girl from a week ago. She sincerely looked at me and asked, "What is wrong? Why are you crying?" Her lavender eyes earnestly looked into my own fiery orange ones.

"I want to get off of this ship." I growled at her. I tend to be very disgruntled when snapped out of my sulking trances.

Silence fell as she tried to think of what to say next. "I'm sorry. But you have to come with us. We need to find the person who killed all of those people."

"Hasn't ever even occurred to you that I may know who did it? Instead of spending a month trying to get back to the village, you all could be catching the son of a bitch now."

"Do tell…" A boy, one of the Ino bitch's comrades, spoke up behind the dark-haired girl.

"Shikamaru!" She exclaimed. She seemed to be startled.

"If you know who did it, then speak up." He continued.

"As if you all could beat him. You wouldn't even touch him. Why do you think I ran? You all couldn't beat him if you tried. But okay. I'll humor you all. His name is Makken. He is a very powerful man with a taste for blood. He killed all of those people. I was told that he was heading for a village near your own. No doubt that he'll come for it when he's done with the appetizer." They both looked at me in shock.

"W-why didn't you tell us earlier?" The girl asked. "You never asked."

After that everyone began to scramble. They changed the course and made battle plans as I watched from afar. But despite all of the commotion, Sasuke and I still carried on with our lessons.

I grew suspicious after the third day. "Why are you so eager to learn my language?" I asked him. He hesitated. "Should I really say it?" he asked. I knew there was a catch. "I need a favor and you're the only one who can do it for me."

He went into a long explanation about his past. From his clan's massacre to him finally killing his brother who committed the crime in the first place. How he learned how his brother never really meant him ill will. And now he wants his brother back. He wanted me to bring his brother back.

I explained to him that the procedure would be a hard one to follow. I'd have to look up the spell in the large tome that I had stowed away in some forgotten corner of the ship (I didn't want anyone's hands on it), and try to meet the requirements that may or may not be easy to follow.

First, we retrieved the book. It was an old dusty thing that I hid in the storage quarters of the ship. It took a lot of effort for a normal man to carry it but none for Sasuke. He carried it as if it were weightless.

We returned back to my cramped room to hunt down the resurrection spell. After what seemed like an hour we found only to find that the spell required a dance which called for a larger space to me to practice it. The spell also called for an animal sacrifice that resembled the deceased personality. A spirit animal.

I asked Sasuke for a description of his brother's personality. Itachi was a kind older brother. He was a genius, wise, and had a peaceful air to him. He loved his older brother and gave his life to protect him. But he was always hard to figure out. There was always an air of mystery about him.

Cat… I decided. He had all of the characteristics of a cat. As cliché as it sounds, that's what it was.

"We'll need a cat." I told him. He looked at me as if I had sprouted an extra armf.

"A cat! You honestly think that we should use a cat for the sacrifice! My brother deserves something like a tiger or a li-"

"The tiger stands for raw energy and brash behavior. The lion stands for strong familial ties and female assertion. Do you think that those are the animals that would represent your brother best?" He remained silent. "That's what I thought."

"So what does the cat represent?" I smiled at him. "The cat is a sacred creature. It represented guardianship, love, protection, independence, wisdom, balance, mystery and much, much more. The cat is a perfect animal that'll represent you brother." He smiled. "Thank you..."

Sasuke underwent the strenuous task of finding a cat to sacrifice as I learned the steps of the dance. He accused me of having the easier task but I sternly objected. Spell dances, as I called them, were more difficult than any waltz or tango. The steps could easily cause one to break a leg or arm. They consisted of many elaborate twists and turns. But when done correctly, they were beautiful and breathtaking.

After a week or so, Sasuke had his cat and I had successfully learned the dance. The preparations were complete save for the last unnerving ingredient.

"We now need a liter of human blood." I told him, bracing myself for his reaction.

"Okay… How are we going to do that?" I sighed in relief. "It has to be your blood. You and your brother share blood. It would only make sense if you do it."

It was at least ten at night. The stars seemed to smile at us from the heavens and the moon reflected brilliantly off of the ocean. We had met in our usual spot after a long day of practicing and searching to finally celebrate our success.

I was wearing a newly made kimono that Sasuke managed to smuggle at one point. He had gotten sick of me always complaining about my dirty hospital-like garb. It had a beautiful design that hugged my petite body perfectly. It was a short, silver colored dress that was embroidered with navy colored vines that ran up and down the right side of my body.

"You look lovely, Xira." He told me. I only snickered at his comment. "I'm serious. You look really nice."

"What's with all of the compliments?" His eyes raked over my body. "I just think that you look nice. Why can't you take a compliment?" I tried to hide my body from him, hoping that it would stop whatever was going on inside of his head.

"Xira. I think that I have come to like you. More than a friend that is."

"Stop raping me with your eyes…" I bluntly added. He sighed and captured me within a forceful hug. Is this how he really felt? If so, why the hell didn't I notice sooner? Now that I think about it, he has been acting differently around me lately. He would stare at me, as if he were in a trance. At my body, my face, my legs. Everything. It was puzzling! How could anyone take a liking to me! I was one of the most unlovable people in this universe yet I managed to capture the heart of the famous Sasuke Uchiha. I wasn't attractive. My wild, black hair, bright orange eyes, short, stocky frame and dark, caramel-colored skin made sure of that. Not to mention that my breast size was almost unheard of. I was so underdeveloped that you would think that I was a grade schooler. Wait…

"You're trying to get in my pants, are you?" A mischievous glint arose in his eyes. "That would be nice."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I made a vow to myself that I'd remain a virgin until I married. It's a religious thing."

He sighed. "At least let me kiss you…"

"No! You will not kiss me! I refuse to let that happen!"

"Are you scared of me?"

"N-no…" I faltered over my words.

"Then why not?"

I didn't know why… Maybe it was because of that time…

It was the first slumber party that I had been to. My former best friend, Ilana, was throwing one for her eighth birthday. I, myself, was six at the time.

It was the middle of the night and all were asleep after a long day of non-stop scary movies and being scared out of our wits by Ilana's older douche of a brother (He had to supervise the party).

Awakened by my full bladder, I had to go to the restroom. It must have been past midnight at the time when I did so. Not a soul was awake in the house. Or so I thought.

I hunted down a bathroom in the huge palace of a house. One that was in the far corner of the house away from where all the other girls slept. I was never afraid of the dark so this wasn't a problem.

But I still heard a faint, faint knocking sound.

I wanted to investigate the sound, but I also knew that it was impolite to go stalking around someone's house. But after a minute of quarreling with my own manners, I decided to investigate.

The room the sound was emanating from was even further away from the bedroom I was staying in. The west end, I recall.

I neared the room and peered through the slightly cracked door only just enough so that I could see but not be seen. And what I saw still haunts me today.

I gazed inside of the room with shock and horror; unable to move for fear that I would draw unwanted attention to myself. I ran away as soon as I was able to and called my brother on a cell phone that he had given me. He asked and shouted at me over the phone demanding to know what had happen and panic was in his voice. I tried in a vain effort to keep the tears back.

My brother arrived at the house in less than five minutes despite the fact that it was a forty-five minute drive from our house. He gathered me in his arms and without being noticed, took me home with him.

When we arrived to our own home, he continued the interrogation. While inspecting my person to make sure that I wasn't injured he asked over and over for an explanation. And I finally told him.

What I saw in the house was something that still haunts me today. It was Manda, Ilana's older brother, forcing himself on a poor girl. The girl cried out in agony as blood seeped out of her. But he overlooked this and acted as if he were possessed by some unseen force. It was horrifying. To know that people could behave like wild animals in the face of pleasure. And what even bothered me more was that the day after, we received a call reporting that the girl died…

I never cried so hard in my life…

I looked at Sasuke as he awaited my answer. I scowled and walked away.

"Never in your life."


	2. Chapter 2

"So are we doing this?" I met up with Sasuke in a nearby village to perform the ceremony. To resurrect his dead brother. A task that required many preparations and took us a whole three weeks to complete. That is solely because Sasuke mistook a panther cub for a small cat. I was especially pissed off at him because the panther is my animal. It was an insult to me that he killed it but I understood that it was a harmless mistake. Well, harmless to us…

We met in a clearing in the woods far away from the docking site of the boat. We tried to make this as discreet as possible to his comrades for they would be shocked and would try to stop us if they had any knowledge of this.

I first had to draw the pattern in the ground. One with intricate patterns and that took me thirty minutes to draw. Sasuke then must spill his own blood onto it. A whole liter to be exact. He was unfazed by the pain of cutting his arm and watching his own blood seep out onto the ground. We then placed the deceased cat in the center of the circle. I said a silent prayer for the poor animal, hoping that it wasn't a mother to some cubs out in the wild. All that was left was for me to do the dance.

I placed myself at the edge of the circle. Where I placed my feet was especially important for this dance. They were to be placed directly beside a rune that said "guidance" in the circle. I then began my dance.

I twisted and turned for at least ten minutes. Dancing the whole time as Sasuke eagerly watched me, waiting for the dance to end. Waiting to see his brother once more. I sent out another silent prayer, this time for Sasuke. Hopefully he'll be able to live with the change that his brother will undergo.

When the dance ended, I was completely winded. But Sasuke didn't seem to care a whole lot. All he did was watch the circle for any signs of his brother.

I retreated to his side and joined him. I ran over all of the steps in my mind. The dance, the cat, the blood, the circle. Everything was done right. And the results should be following shortly.

In a brilliant ray of red light, the circle glowed. The light then exploded upwards. I saw a smile cross Sasuke's face. Bigger than any other smile that he let any of his friends witness.

The light eventually died down and figure could be seen standing in the center of the circle. He had long, shoulder-length, black hair and smiled a wide one. His eyes were dark and he had lines crossing his face underneath them. Itachi was alive again. And what was even better; he didn't seem to regret it as this was a case for most resurrection victims.

The two Uchihas embraced each other in a warm hug. I even noticed the smallest trace of tears in Sasuke's eyes even though I knew he wouldn't admit it later.

After they greeted each other, Sasuke then introduced me.

"Xira Merid." I said as I held my hand out, but Itachi ignored it as he pulled me into a grand hug also. "Thank you so much for bringing my brother and I together again." I hugged him back.

I sat down with the Uchihas and ate a lunch I had packed for us to eat. We tried to figure out how to introduce the elder brother to Sasuke's comrades seeing as they are not too fond of the idea of resurrection.

"We may have to hide him." I told Sasuke. He shook his head in disapproval. "Well, what do you suggest that we do? If we just waltz into the village with him, there will be a huge…" My voice trailed off as a pressure below us began to rise. I noticed that I was the only one who could feel it.

The two brothers looked at me with worry. I just concentrated on what was trying to form underneath me. I tried to remember the things that my brother taught me to recognize energies and determine entities. If it was a small one of a low quality, it was of earth. Big of low quality, it was from Hell. Big of high quality it was from the Middle World. Mid-Terra, as my brother called it. This was one of those.

"Bad, bad, bad! Everyone up, now!" They did as I commanded just in time, for a huge hulking form erupted from the ground causing us to be shower in a storm of debris and vegetation. It was a big, brown and ugly hooved beast that resembled a gargoyle. It had at least a thousand of sharp teeth and beady, black eyes. It pounded the ground with its large fists and let out a mighty roar. Everything after that happened so fast.

Itachi was dragged into the pit first, and then Sasuke, who tried in vain to fight it, then finally me. In the darkness, I felt a falling sensation but I felt as if I were floating also. I tried frantically to locate Sasuke and Itachi but the lack of light prevented me from doing so. A pain arose inside of my head and sleep began to cloud my mind. Everything after that is all a blur.

I awoke to the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"Wake up, Xira! Get up, now!" I heard him sigh in frustration.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw what appeared to be a red sky. I bolted upright and took in my surroundings. We seemed to be sitting on a cliff of a brownish rock that looked over a sea of red lava. The sky wasn't really a sky but the roof of a gigantic cave that stretched upwards for miles. That's what made the sky appear red.

Hovering above the sea were islands, all being upheld by some unseen force. Some were as big as normal islands and some were as small as puddles.

Sasuke, who was sitting beside me asked, "Where are we?"

"Mid-Terra." I answered. "What? What is that?"

"It's the place between Earth and Hell. The place where lost souls go… But why are we here?" I pounded the ground with my fist. "The ceremony went perfectly so why are we here!"

"That thing told us that we broke a law. That we are here to pay for our crime. Apparently resurrection is a crime." Itachi said as he dangled his legs off of the edge of the cliff.

Realization sparked in my mind. I was the reason that we were here. It was my fault. I should have minded the laws. But I had totally forgotten about them. Now we are stuck here until we pay off our debt. That is, If we even live that long.

"Ten years." Sasuke said. "What?"

"That is how long we are to be trapped here. Ten years."

"That is a lie." Both brothers look at me in confusion. "Time does not occur here in Mid-Terra. Ten years can be a thousand years or a second in the real world. One does not age, either. We don't have any way to tell time here. Eventually we will lose count of the days. We may be stuck here for what _seems _to be ten years but on the outside, but in reality it may have been a thousand. That is the true punishment of Mid-Terra. When we finally pay off our debt and return to the surface, all of our loved ones will either be gone or have forgotten about us."

"But you said it could also be a second as well." Itachi added.

"Yes. If we are lucky enough." Tears began to form in my eyes. "I am so sorry. This is my entire fault. I should have paid attention to the laws but I completely forgot them. Now you two are stuck here with me…" Tears began to roll but I refused to let out a sob. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Even if I did know the consequences I would have still done it. I don't care that I'll be trapped here. As long as I have my brother with me, I'll be fine." Sasuke said. I knew that he was trying to cheer me up, I still felt as bad as before.

"It'll be okay. All we have to do is survive."

I did not sleep at all that night…

_**Author's note: So I only have two things to say about this chapter.**_

_**Writing things like this while listening to the Homestuck soundtrack is heart-wrenching. (For all who do not know what that is, Homestuck is an online comic created by a person named Andrew Hussie. It is an epic thing. It truly is…)**_

_**I've always wanted to write something with Itachi in it. I cannot accept the fact that he is dead. In my eyes, he is on vacation in Rio with all the pretty singing birds. Do not try to tell me that will never be true, goddammit. DO NOT TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE! Leave my heart be…**_


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